Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Malik Washington, Dylan Sampson, Jordan Mason, Ashton Jeanty, Breece Hall, Aaron Jones Sr., Tyler Allgeier, George Pickens, Keenan Allen.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Malik Washington, Dylan Sampson, Jordan Mason, Ashton Jeanty, Breece Hall, Aaron Jones Sr., Tyler Allgeier, George Pickens, Keenan Allen. However, don't worry; we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Week 9 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 9:
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson is worth targeting in 12-team PPR leagues, although his fantasy appeal comes primarily from receiving opportunities rather than rushing volume. RotoBaller lists him at 17% rostered, and he has caught nine of 11 targets for 94 yards in two games since returning from injured reserve. Sunday's 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers highlighted the distinction between Sampson's role and Quinshon Judkins' responsibilities. Sampson played 39 offensive snaps (56%) and caught six passes for 62 yards, but received only one carry.
Judkins, meanwhile, handled 11 rushing attempts despite playing fewer snaps (27, 39%). Cleveland spent much of the afternoon trailing, which contributed to Sampson's increased involvement in the passing game. He has also rushed seven times for 52 yards since returning, providing some additional production beyond his receiving work. Sampson offers immediate PPR flex potential and valuable backfield insurance, but his workload against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 will depend heavily on game script.
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason rushed eight times for 20 yards in his team's 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions. Mason couldn't get anything going in Week 8 against one of the league's better run defenses. For what it's worth, backfield mate Aaron Jones Sr. didn't find much room to work either, but he was still far more effective than Mason with his touches and commanded the duo's only two targets in the receiving game.
It was an uncharacteristic outing for Minnesota, as their run/pass split leaned heavier toward the latter for just the third time under quarterback Kyler Murray's direction in the campaign. As it stands, Mason fits well in the RB3 range most weeks, but doesn't possess week-winning upside while sharing a backfield with Jones. They'll get another stiff test in Week 9 against a formidable Buffalo Bills rush defense.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty was informed before Sunday's Week 8 victory over the New York Jets that he would receive fewer carries, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Head coach Klint Kubiak confirmed the decision was his after Jeanty finished with just two carries for nine yards, while rookie Mike Washington Jr. handled 25 attempts for 83 yards. Jeanty remained involved in the passing game, catching three of four targets for 64 yards, including a 45-yard reception that helped set up Las Vegas' go-ahead touchdown.
Kubiak also clarified that Jeanty's comments earlier in the week about Jets defenders not wanting to tackle played no part in the decision. Despite the significant reduction in rushing opportunities, Kubiak maintained that Jeanty would remain a major part of the Raiders' offense moving forward.
Breece Hall, New York Jets
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said last week that whenever running back Breece Hall (quadriceps) returns, the starting job will be his again. "The role won't change," Glenn said. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich deferred to Glenn when asked the question himself, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
"Well, that's obviously coach's decision, but they're both the guy ... I mean, that's a good problem to have. That's coach's decision, but to me ... Breece is our guy. I'm assuming Breece is our guy, you know what I mean? He's one of the best in the NFL, but I think what's been so exciting is like, oh my gosh, we've got two of them. I mean, we've got two. This Braelon guy, he's a beast as well," Reich said.
Rosenblatt says it is fair to wonder now if Hall will lose his lead-back role given how well Braelon Allen has performed in the last five games with Hall sidelined. And if that is the case, it would make sense for general manager Darren Mougey to make Hall available before next Tuesday's trade deadline. The Jets have publicly said they will not trade Hall, but the fact that the team just signed Hall to a new contract last offseason should not be a deterrent to trading him. If Hall is not traded, his fantasy ceiling will most likely suffer as he shares more of the workload with Allen.
Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier had a career game in Week 8 and should be rostered in all formats moving forward. Allgeier totaled 11 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, and added five receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in the 33-30 comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys.
After Jeremiyah Love went down with another ankle injury and third-string Bam Knight suffered a concussion, Allgeier handled the Cardinals' entire workload. He totaled 160 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in the second half alone and posted a career-high in receiving production in Week 8. It's unclear whether Love or Knight will miss time with their new injuries, but if they do, Allgeier should be rostered in all leagues and provides RB2 value.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Malik Washington, Dylan Sampson, Jordan Mason, Ashton Jeanty, Breece Hall, Aaron Jones Sr., Tyler Allgeier, George Pickens, Keenan Allen. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Malik Washington, Dylan Sampson, Jordan Mason, Ashton Jeanty, Breece Hall, Aaron Jones Sr., Tyler Allgeier, George Pickens, Keenan Allen.
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